LONGVIEW, Texas (Oct. 18, 2004) - Pro David Curtis of Trinity entered the 2004 Texas Tournament Trail Bass Fishing Championship on Longview's Lake O' the Pines as the fifth-ranked angler in TTT points standings, but he left as the TTT champion thanks to a two-day catch of 10 bass that weighed 37 pounds, 11 ounces that secured him his second win of the year. His victory Sunday earned him a Ranger 519 VS Comanche bass boat and $15,000 cash, plus a $20,000 Ranger contingency for a top award of $70,000 in cash and prizes.
Curtis got the season off to a good start with a top-20 finish at the season opener on Lake Amistad in February. He followed that up with a win on Sam Rayburn in March. After securing his No. 5 ranking after the regular season, Curtis returned to winning form this weekend by winning the championship on a DD-22 and 30+ crankbaits.
Rounding out the top five finishers in the Pro Division are Andy Gaia of Tomball (10 bass, 30 pounds, $6,000 plus $5,000 contingency); Trey Morgan of Goldonna, La. (10 bass, 29 pounds, 10 ounces, $4,500 plus $4,000 contingency), Paul Montelongo of San Angelo (eight bass, 26 pounds, $3,500 plus $3,000 contingency); and Charles Simmons of Waco (five bass, 21 pounds, 4 ounces, $2,500 plus $2,250 contingency).
Contingencies are awarded to registered Ranger boat owners who purchased their Ranger new from a Ranger dealer. Pro anglers must also fish out of a Ranger during the tournament to be eligible for the contingency.
Chris Slopak of Hot Springs, Ark., won the Co-angler Division, a new Ranger boat and $10,000 thanks to a two-day catch of nine bass that weighed 20 pounds, 15 ounces. He won a 195 Ranger boat and $5,000 as the co-angler champion plus another $5,000 because he is a registered Ranger owner for a top award worth $40,000. He caught his tournament-winning bass on Carolina-rigged Brush Hogs and worms around grass lines and points.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Don Poston of Odessa (eight bass, 20 pounds, 11 ounces, $2,000 plus $2,500 contingency); Dan Schoonveld of Hemphill (eight bass, 14 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,500 plus $1,500 contingency); Jacob Brown of Clyde (seven bass, 14 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,250); and Steven Faske of Bastrop (five bass, 12 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,000 plus $900 bonus).
Co-anglers who are qualifying Ranger boat owners are eligible for contingency awards.
The event began Saturday at Lakeside Park in Jefferson with the top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from year-end points standings competing, and the full field fished both days with the winners determined by the heaviest two-day weight. Every angler who received weight credit during the regular season earned points, with 200 points awarded to tournament winners, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on. These points determined angler standings.